Walsall comment: Academy proving its worth for Saddlers

A club like Saddlers are reliant on what Darrell Clarke describes as the ‘underbelly’ of his squad.

They’re the players below the key men in the team.

When injuries have kept out experienced professionals like Danny Guthrie and Stuart Sinclair, the academy products are there to stand up and be counted.

And they’ve certainly done that.

With the finances that Walsall have, they can’t afford to have a squad full of experience that will demand high wages.

The club has looked to that experience for the first XI and, as they have done historically, kitted the rest of the team out with young, inexperienced players that are on a pittance compared to the public’s perception of footballers’ wages. And in recent weeks those players have been the stars of the show.

With an ongoing injury to Cameron Pring keeping him sidelined, and the inconsistent form of Zak Jules, Callum Cockerill-Mollett has been given his chance.

The club’s philosophy has been to give youngsters a chance and credit here must go to Darrell Clarke for his timing.

Cockerill-Mollett came into the team for the 2-1 loss at home to Mansfield, and despite the result, he had a solid game.

That match was played on October 26, but it wasn’t until November 12 that he was seen again. Many expected he would get a run in the side after the Mansfield game, but Clarke kept him back and kept him hungry – and now he’s flourishing.

His consecutive displays against Forest Green Rovers, Cambridge and Darlington have all got fans talking as the 20-year-old looks the real deal.

Whether it’s at left-back, left-wing-back or on the left of a back three, the youngster is shining.

He becomes the latest academy name to get a chance at the Banks’s Stadium and he’s well worth the plaudits.

Another player that falls into this bracket is Alfie Bates.

At just 18-years-old he’s already become a fans’ favourite and the team looks better when he plays.

The injuries to Guthrie and Sinclair have meant Bates got his shot and he’s delivered.

Imagine where the club would be if these two hadn’t stepped up?

As with the structure of the club, when injuries occur the youngsters are often needed.

Pring, Guthrie and Sinclair have often been the first names on the team-sheet when they’re fit, so if Bates and Cockerill-Mollett were introduced when they weren’t ready, it could have spelled disaster.

Whether Clarke spotted that they were ready or whether it was pure chance, one thing is for certain – without these two, the club would currently be worse off.

If they can continue their mature performances, then the competition in the team will only benefit. So far they’ve been a credit to the club.